Courage to Fight
by TheTrio.SI
Summary: Formerly 'Tales of the Abyss: Self-insert', this self-insert features a brand new storyline, adding something new alongside the famous storyline featuring the Abyss cast.


So, here I am… Rewriting my Self insert, even though I said I wouldn't. Then again, it's all for the sake of coherence and so that I won't lead myself in a loophole that I didn't manage to foresee.

Disclaimer: I do not own tales, or any of the references to other games/songs below. I do own Kana Tsukima though, and the other original characters belong to their respective owners.

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><p><em>Kanarazu bokura wa deau darou<em>

_Onaji kodou no oto wo mejirushi ni shite_

"Tell me again… Why of all games… Tales of the Abyss,"

"Because it's fun. And it's Tales. And I don't have a Code Geass game for the PS2," I said.

"Not even 'Lost Color'?" A girl asked. She sat on my couch, reading a Harry Potter book; she pushed up her glasses and then casually flipped a page.

"'Yun Jie, Lost Color' is… well... lost." I frowned and pressed the 'start' button, skipping ahead to the title screen.

"Anyway, I invited you here to celebrate the end of our National exams. Not to read a book."

"Then why are you playing games?" Yun Jie asked.

"That's because… she needs help with her quests… And of course someone is too lazy to check GameFAQs." Another girl, this time with red highlights in her hair, said. She took the controller from me and scrolled through the save files.

"So… Which save file is it?"

"There's only one."

"I know, I was being sarcastic… Do you play this game often?"

"Evil Gerry… I just can't be bothered to save many files."

Geraldine selected the save file. There was a moment of silence as we waited for the game to load. Suddenly there was a popup that read: SAVE FILE CANNOT BE READ.

"...Damn," I said. "Maybe the memory card is loose or something."

I stood up from my place on the sofa and walked towards the console. Everything looked relatively normal. It was hard to think that this incident changed our lives.

I reached out and jiggled the memory card. "Try selecting the save file again!" I said.

Geraldine pressed the 'X' button on the controller. The console started vibrating and humming… Scratch that, it started shaking violently. A flurry of events, my vision flickering back and forth between multiple viewpoints. I felt nothing, as if I was a feather in mid-air, and I felt everything, ranging from the coldest of touches to the scorching heat of flames.

Suddenly, my vision shattered into many fragments, like a multi-faceted crystal. My mind was blank, for a moment I could not remember who I was or where I am. My thoughts were circling around an urge- the need to live.

I felt like I was being torn away from what I used to be, as if I was being re-created. A stream of knowledge poured into me. I could not understand most of the information. It was as if it was stored in my mind for safe-keeping, only being able to reveal its meaning during a more suitable time or place.

Then there was nothing.

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><p>"Big sis!"<p>

_Huh? What big sis?_

"Big sis!"

The voice is now louder, as if the person who said it was beside me.

"BIG SIS!" The voice boomed just beside my ear.

"WHAAA!"

I jolted up, trying to recall when I had fallen onto my back. I touched my face, trying to adjust my glasses. Instead of coming into contact with the metallic frames, I felt nothing. _Hey, where are my spectacles? _

"Finally you have come to, big sis! You were lying out here so long that we thought you might have died or something."

My eyes focused on a small group of children. The one who was talking to me was a young boy, probably around seven years old. I stared at the boy for a second, before taking note of my surroundings. Lush greenery and several hectares of farmland. I mentally nodded… _Yep… WAIT A MINUTE._I took a good look around. Fruit trees lined the sides of the field. I looked up and noticed that I was under an apple tree. What happened to my house? Never mind that, what happened to my country? My utopia of technology?

"Big sis, are you mute or something? You haven't said anything at al-" I placed my hand over the boy's mouth.

"First question: Where am I?" I said emotionlessly, I wasn't being rude. I was just a little shocked to find such a drastic change when I woke up.

"Silly big sis, don't you know where you are? You're in Engeve!"

I felt faint. Engeve, Malkuth Empire, Auldrant. I was in the world of Tales of the Abyss.

"John! There are some items here!" A young girl called from just a few metres away.

"They look like guns," An older child stated. "Don't touch them! It looks dangerous!" Another said.

"There's a bag too. Hey look! There's an envelope! Ka… Kana... Tu…"

The older boy picked up the piece of paper.

"Kana Tsukima… Hmph, what a weird name."

I snapped up immediately. _Isn't that the name of one of my original characters?_

"Hey, could you pass that envelope to me? I think it is mine."

The boy shyly handed over the brown envelope. I emptied the contents of the envelope onto my lap. A slip of browned parchment fell out of the envelope.

"Oooh! What does it say? Is it a mission? Are you a spy for Kimlasca?" A girl chirped. That seemed to have piqued the interest of the other children and they started crowding behind me to get a good look at the contents of the envelope.

"It's in a secret code! It looks funny… there are so many strokes."

_That's because it's in Chinese._

The letter reads:

_Hello Kana Tsukima, or rather, Georgia._

_You may be wondering why you're in Auldrant. Well, that shall be explained later when we meet. You friends are in this world too. I do not know where they are, but I can tell you they are in the safe hands of my kind. It may be hard for you to trust me, but ultimately, we are the only ones you can trust._

_I have given you a pair of weapons for your journey. You shall take on the role of a mercenary and a performer, have a chat with Engeve's residents, I'm sure you can find something you can do to earn some money while you wait. I shall meet you in a few days before Luke's team arrives in Engeve. Head towards the town, arrangements have been made._

_In your bag you will find a bag of Gumi and some Gald to start. Use them to purchase necessary supplies from the shop in the Inn._

_Your weapons are a pair of guns, similar to Legretta's, so there is no need to purchase magazines for them. Your secondary weapon would be a dagger for close combat. There should be a sheath somewhere amongst the items, as well as holsters for your guns. _

_Stay safe and don't die._

_-C._

A chill went down my spine as I read the words 'don't die'.A feeling of Déjà vu smothered me, as if something like this happened before, as weird as it sounds. Despite the ambiguous intent of the writer of this letter, my instincts told me that I could trust this… 'C'. Then again, if someone knows I'm not from Auldrant- then this person might know a way for me to return home.

I stood up and walked over to the pile of items. Indeed, as the letter stated, my weapons were there. Nothing fancy, nothing colourful. A sharp dagger with a wooden hilt, its handle protected by a layer of leather. I slid the dagger out of its leather sheath and placed the blade on the palm of my hand. A sudden surge of energy coursed through me, and I felt a slight pressure against my mind.

"Fatal slash." I heard a voice say.

"What did you say, Big sis?"

"I didn't say anything.

"Yes you did! You said…um… Fatal slash… or something like that."

"Did I?" The children nodded eagerly. Frowning slightly, I buckled the knife around my boots. I paused slightly before looking at my hands, they were gloved. Then I looked down to take a better look at my new clothes that seemed to have appeared in place of my normal earth clothes. Instead of my favourite T-shirt, I am wearing a light sand-coloured, sleeveless top, a pair of shorts in place of my usual faded jeans and a pair of boots. It did not resemble anything like what the residents of Engeve would wear… No wonder 'C' assigned me the job of a widely-travelled entertainer or a mercenary. No one would question my origins.

The new clothes were comfortable and light, although I doubt it will offer much protection against battles… Once again looking at the dagger in my hand, I was entranced by the thin blade; light in my hands, yet weighty enough to deliver a fatal stab. Next I buckled on the dual guns on my belt, followed by my small bag. I adjusted the items until I was sure the guns and dagger would not be obstructed by my pouch, allowing me to arm myself in the shortest amount of time. I placed my hand on one of the dual guns. Once again I felt a nudge, only to hear myself whisper, "Aqua strike." I frowned once again, unable to make heads or tails about my uncontrollable bouts of whispering.

"So, how do I look?" I turned on the spot in front of the awe-struck children.

"Just like a soldier! Or an Assassin!" A wide-eyed girl said. I laughed softly at her reaction, then pretended to salute her. "Yes, Ma'am!" The children burst into light-hearted giggles.

"Hey, could you take me to Engeve?" I asked, in a kinder voice.

"Only if you play catch with us!" John said cheerfully.

"Heh. Sure," I said. If I had a few days to spare while waiting, a few hours spent playing with children is nothing.

"Okay. Tag you're it!" John tapped my hand and started running. The rest of the children started to follow suit.

"HEY! That's not fair!" I grinned and started chasing the children across the field.

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><p>TBC …<p> 


End file.
